'They're being found out!' Keir Starmer slammed for 'botched' plot to 'blame Tories' for £28bn U-turn

Former deputy Tory chairman Lee Anderson told GB News the allegation shows Labour is "being found out as a virtue signalling protest party".

While Tory backbencher Philip Davies accused Labour of "making it up as it goes along", claiming Starmer "will say or do anything" to become Prime Minister".

But Labour yesterday argued that the changes are necessary as a result of the Conservative Party "crashing the economy and Jeremy Hunt’s plans to ‘max out’ the country’s credit card".

Starmer said the Green Prosperity Plan is "about turning a corner on fourteen years of Conservative decline and investing in Britain’s future", while Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband said the party will be "fighting the election with a world-leading agenda on climate and energy".

But reacting to allegations Labour had planned to blame their U-turn on the Conservative Party's budget, Tory MP and GB News Presenter Lee Anderson said: "We now know what Labour's policies are for the first 5 years if they win the next election.

"Which is to blame the Tories for every single botched decision they make. They are slowly being found out as being a virtue-signaling protest party. Run a country? I wouldn't let them run a bath."

Philip Davies added: "The principles-free and ideas-free Labour Party is all over the place and making it up as it is going along.

"According to Starmer they had to change tack because of what has happened to the economy over the last 2 years, but he recommitted to the £28 billion figure again two days before he scrapped it.

"The fact of the matter is that you can’t believe anything Starmer says or promises to do. He hasn’t got a scooby about what he wants to do.

"He just wants to be Prime Minister and he will say or do anything to get there. Once there who knows what he will do - maybe the friend of Corbyn will re-emerge. The fact is nobody knows - probably not even him."

A Labour source told the Times Labour had planned to use Jeremy Hunt's March budget to deflect from the U-turn, saying: "The plan was to blame it all on the Tories, saying that Hunt’s decisions had to make us reassess."

Speaking yesterday, Starmer said: "There will be no new further investment on top of the green prosperity fund. The £28billion is stood down so we can focus on the outcomes.

"When we announced the £28billion two and a half years ago interest rates were very low - since then Liz Truss has crashed the economy."

Starmer said it was "ridiculous" to suggest that he had 'flip-flopped' on the policy. He added: "Fiscal rules must come first... We have to to adjust ourselves to the circumstances we find ourselves in."

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The original green prosperity plan had committed Labour to insulating 19million homes across the country over the next 10 years.

Under the new plan - costing £23.7billion over five years - just five million homes will be insulated in the first five years of a Labour government.

Starmer said that he was sticking to all of the other public commitments - such as a commitment to green steel - and they would be in the party's manifesto.

Other pledges including as the £8.3billon plan for a new business called Great British Energy and a £7.3billion National Wealth Fund remain in the election manifesto.

Labour has been contacted for comment.